Tourists from Ukraine arrive at the Bulgarian seaside in October

Large number of tourists from Ukraine book hotels and guest houses for holidays at Bulgaria’s South Black Sea coast. The first groups for combined holidays in Bulgaria and in Turkey start in October.

According to tour operators, the Ukrainians will spend two days in Bulgaria and two days in Istanbul. Such holidays are extending the summer season.

The expectation of an extension of the season came after the first booking of Ukrainian tourists, which is scheduled for mid-October. The holidaymakers will be accommodated in several hotels on the southern Black Sea coast.

The summer season in Bulgaria usually ends at the end of September. Due to the forecasts for good weather, this year tour operators working with the Baltic states are reporting increased interest in the Bulgarian seaside resorts. Reservations from Ukraine are already a fact, and the first of them is for October 14.

"We will have a two-day visit to the city of Bourgas, with a trip to Nessebar, Pomorie. It will include wine tasting, spa treatments and two-day shopping in Istanbul. This will be a programme that we will start and try to implement it until the summer season." said Ivan Kiryazov, a tour operator.

At the end of October, the industry plans to extend the season by welcoming foreign tourists to Bulgarian spa resorts.

"Three days ago, we were in Hissar with our partners, on an advertising tour. We have unique places, not just the sea, so we are optimistic," Kiryazov said.

At the same time, the industry has already started negotiations with the Scandinavian countries and the health insurance funds of Germany and Belgium for the next summer season.

"We have contracts for the next season with all tour operators. How many will be registered and how many cancellations will depend on the spread of the coronavirus," said Plamen Kopchev, chairman of the Union of Owners in Sunny Beach.

Tour operators will also offer Christmas and New Year packages at preferential prices for foreign tourists. However, whether the new ideas will be successfully implemented in the coming months depends only on the anti-epidemic measures.